EITM: Type 1 3/6/24

DAY
ONE
ISH

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi, I actually teach at quinnOrchard. Oh, do you know Drew
Mendoloh. I think I do.I think, But I my teach at
Quince Orchard, so I must knowhim, right, I would assume.
So, I mean we're zeroing in. I've heard Quinn's Orchard's overcrowded. The

(00:21):
oh an, here's why I wantto track this kid down. Right,
do you have diabetes? No?Okay, well don't don't say. Do
you have to answer it like thatlistening? Yeah, So here's what here's
here's why I'm trying to track downDrew Mendeloh. Right, So, Drew

(00:41):
Mendolow, Hey, thank you,ma'am. Hold tight one second. Back
in September of twenty twenty, thenthirteen year old Drew Mendoloh was diagnosed with
type one diabetes. Is it typeone? Like? Not food related?
It is what was originally known asjuvenile right, okay. All the doctors

(01:07):
gave him a lot of information,he recalled. He was feeling overwhelmed.
He would need an app to keeptrack of things like insulin doses and blood
sugar, but doctors told him thatthe options were limited. Is that,
by the way, is that true? If for anybody with diabetes, whether
it's type one and type type two, is like diaboots, Like that is

(01:34):
the what adult onset? You askedthe caller not to add tone, right,
how about you don't do impressions theno no, but the commercial but
like if you're if you're type oneor type two. I understand it's different
types of diabetes, but is everybodyon like like do you have to like

(01:56):
keep track of all that stuff?Oh yeah, no matter what type you
have, I want to make Yeah, you're testing your blood all the time.
But are you ready for this?Thirteen year old kid? Right?
He said, from the day Igot home from the hospital, I started
working on my own app. Thisback in twenty twenty. Wait, when
they said he needed an app,they meant you need to make an app?

(02:17):
No, no, no, likehe said, there was too much,
Like he didn't know there were tosimplify it. There were there were
like he'd get one that you hadto pay for and then one that was
filled with ads, and one thatwas and they would keep track of this
but not that. So he waslike, you know what, screw it,
I'll make my own app at thirteencalled T one D one I don't

(02:40):
type one something. The app tookoff. He's thirteen. Yeah, it
was downloaded more than forty five thousandtimes. Even his doctors were recommending it
to other patients. Day one.That's awesome. T one day one,
like one day one day one whatever. I don't have it. In twenty

(03:01):
twenty one, though, the appdid not have clearance from the FDA and
had to be taken down. Now, the seventeen year old soccer player at
Quin's Orchard High School has been workingtowards gaining FDA approval. He secured private
funding, the app's been redesigned.He said, there's only like one more

(03:23):
step or something that he needs todo and the FDA will approve it.
That's awesome. Yeah, this kid'sgonna have like the biggest app in diabetics
before he's graduated. Yeah. Yeah, seventeen year old kid. Amazing.
He'll do more for the medical worldat seventeen than I'll do in my whole
life. That's true. No,it really is. Unless you donate your
body to science that helps a lot. It does. So. Yeah,

(03:47):
this how about this kid? Ilove this. I see the website here.
Yeah, T one D one theessentials you need to manage type one
diabetes right from day one, simplestreamline, accessible to all. And then
of course you have the coming soonbecause it's got to get to that night,
it's got to get approved. Sowait, is T one is his

(04:09):
app only for type one diabetes?I don't know that, Like, I
really I always saw type one youwere born with. But if it clearly
if this kid didn't get it tillhe was thirteen, you're not born with
it. And now they say it'sgenetic. Half of the diagnoses each year
are adults for type one. Yeah, so is type one genetic? Type

(04:30):
two is like fat? Well,I guess you don't have to be fat
to get diabetes, but your bloodsugar is all jacked. I think that
there definitely can be a genetic componentstype two. Really is this Type two
has a stronger link to family history? Oh so I really know nothing.
You're actually setting the medical community back. But like if I ate a big

(04:55):
cake today, I got diabetes,I can't use T one D one,
I have to I read. Idon't know. I'm sure there is a
personal responsibility component that the doctors wouldtell you about the what for myself?
Yeah? What about yes? Likeyou can have some, don't need to
you set a whole cake. Yeah, triple layer cheesecake. I crush it
right now. Oh am, Igoing to line too. Shut your mouth.

(05:18):
Hi, YOA in the morning.Hi, this is Drew's mom.
I was told that you were talkingabout Drew, so I thought I would
call in. He's at school rightnow, so otherwise I would have him
call in o'clock. Yeah. Whattime do you have to be in school?
High school? Yeah? Yeah,he leaves at seven leaves. Oh,

(05:38):
so, like he's hanging out withhis buddies right now. I got
you at that McDonald Hey, exactly. Hey, so let me ask you
this. Yeah, so, soDrew got got diagnosed. I'm going to
treat it like you've never heard thestory. So Drew got diagnosed with type
one diabetes when he was thirteen,right right, So I was listening in
a little bit, and just justto set the record straight. The main

(06:01):
difference between type one and type two. I'm not even actually sure why they
call them both diabetes, but typeone is an autoimmune disease. That's how
you can think of it as different. So you're you're pancreous, actually shuts
down and it stops making the insulinthat you need. So it's a chronic
illness that you need to have shotsof insolin throughout the day to stay alive.

(06:27):
I got you, so type one, Type one's autoimmune and type two
is I ate a cake. It'sa little bit a lot more like style,
style and genetic guenetic. Some peopleare in great shape and it's just
genetics is not genetic, Yeah,oh it's not. I mean there are
there are case there are cases wherepeople do have but most people when they're

(06:51):
diagnosed, they don't know anyone elsein their family that has Type one.
Because I was just going to askif you or if you or or Drew's
Drew's ad I'm assuming your husband.Well, I don't know if you're married
or yeah, you know the no. No. The reason that it's awkward
is that on like you're online too. You don't know that, but you're

(07:11):
online too. Line seven. Ihave a note that says Drew's dad.
But if they're not, they couldbe living in separate houses. I don't
know what the deal is true.I'm on the way. I'm on the
way to a facilitate a workshop anda Frank called is dead call in,
but yeah, you can put themon too, if that's possible. I
don't. I don't know. Soyou guys are cool. You guys are
cool together. Yeah, yeah,we're married. We kid. All right,

(07:32):
hold on then let me pop inon. Hold on? What's his
name? Mike? Mike? What'sup? What's up? Big dog?
How are you? I'm good?You're questioning our marriage now, Well,
I didn't know. It's just Iwasn't expecting it to be on two lines.
You did sleep in separate rooms lastnight. I got to be honest,

(07:54):
I'm a little bit of a snore. So all right, well did
Drew get that? Hey, sothirteen years old, Drew gets Drew gets
diagnosed, and he comes home andso he's got to be on these apps
all day to kind of monitor what'sgoing on with his body. I mean,

(08:18):
when he first came home, theysent us home with a bunch of
mass calculations and said good luck.And there really wasn't an app. There
was nothing that could do that forhim. I mean we were messing with
Google sheets and Excel and you know, trying to come up with formulas,
and he said, this is kindof crazy. So that's where the whole
idea came from and is Drew.Is Drew one of those like is he

(08:39):
just like crazy smart? Where hesat down and was able to invent an
app. Well, it actually wasduring twenty twenty, when it was during
COVID time, his summer camp wascanceled. He was already interested in coding,
so he started teaching himself how tocode video games that summer. I
think a lot of it had todo he was so bored and he's looking

(09:01):
for something to do. So whenhe was at the hospital, he already
was really experienced with some coding,and when he was talking to the doctors
and they're like, no, anapp like that actually doesn't exist. It's
kind of crazy, but you knowthis one has so many ads, or
this one's really expensive, or thisone's attached to technology. So he's like,

(09:22):
oh, don't worry, guys,I'll make one for a you.
And it started off as a jokeand then when he got home he's like,
wait, I think I can actuallyfigure this out. So yeah,
that's how that's how it kind ofsnowballed. Hey, so if this thing
ends up getting well, what hasto happen for it to get like the
FDA approval, Like, what arethe next steps? Yeah, I mean
that's where we're stuck a little bit. We have a team of researchers lined

(09:46):
up, we have a team thathelps with the regulatory compliance, but we
just ran out of funding and turnsout it's expensive to make a free app.
So the next step is to dothis studies with participants to walk them
through the app and make sure thatit's valid and safe and all of that

(10:07):
so anybody could just pick it upand use it safely. So essentially we're
looking for funding to just fund theresearchers and the regulatory people who need to
help us with that last piece.I gotcha. And then let me ask
you this, like for people whohave seen it, like I saw in
the story where they were talking aboutthe Drew's doctor who was like even recommending

(10:30):
it to people, So I wouldassume that people who have used the app
before it had to be had tobe taken down found it to be very
helpful and useful and and I don't, I don't know what the right word
is, but a very a verygood user experience with the app for what
they need it for. Yeah,they loved it. I mean they and

(10:54):
when it was taken down, otherpeople, you know, we we got
so many emails. We still getemails, about two or three emails a
day. And this is like threeyears later. Hey, where's the app?
I just I just bought a newphone. I can't live without this
app. Can you help me figureout how to get it back on my
phone? Those types of emails,So people who were using the older version,

(11:20):
because I think what you have tounderstand is when you when you have
type one diabetes and and you're soit's called manual or multiple daily injections,
So you're inserting insulin into your bodyprobably five times, at least five times
a day. Every time you doit, you have to calculate it to
figure out make sure you get theright amount of insulin because your body operates

(11:43):
differently in the morning than it doesat night, or you're about to play
a soccer game, or you're youknow, you're sick, or whatever the
situation is. You you manipulate theseformulas throughout the whole day. So it's
very time consuming and draining, especiallyfor a teenager who's trying to do this
at school. And so what theapp does is it like takes all of

(12:07):
that annoyance or doubt also that didI calculate it correctly right out of the
equation and you just plug in,I have this many carbs I'm eating lunch.
You click lunch, all your settingsare set up, and then boom,
it calculates the insulin amounts for you. How many carbs are in mind,

(12:28):
I'm eating a Jersey Mike's Club sandwichright now. I probably I probably
need ten thousand insulins. I don'teven know how they're they're they're wayed out.
You did cough some of it up. Hey, So now let me
ask you this. So you're tryingto get funding to get the app the
rest of the way, assuming thateverything goes well and that you could get

(12:50):
the funding and the app gets done, how quickly could this be back in
my consumer hands? Yeah? DoI answer that? Yeah, we're aiming
for the end of the year.Oh wow, we and yeah, we
think we can get the study doneover the summer. And the FDA has
been really supportive and and they're justlike, look, you got to just
run this thing, prove it,prove that it's safe and accurate. And

(13:13):
I think it's contract to be doneby the end of the year. So
the MDA is pulling for you guysto get it done because even they realize
how good it is, Oh good, hey, how much they've been wonderful.
They've been wonderful actually, and theyreally see the need that they didn't
realize was out there before that there'sso many people either they don't have insurance,

(13:35):
or they're in the remote areas,or even we had insurance and our
insurance wouldn't even accept an insolent pumpfor three months after after his diagnosis.
So it's you know, it's there'sthis period of time right after your diagnosed
that you don't actually have that moneytools available to you. So there's a

(13:56):
little bit of a vacuum. Butat the same time, it's not a
money maker. So I think that'swhy nobody has been in that market right,
And Drew's not trying to make anymoney, He's just trying to help
people in that situation. Well,I would like to have a word on
the side with Drew if you twoare open to it, because that was
going to be My next question isis, well, I don't know how
much funding you need, but howmuch will each download of the app be

(14:20):
that's completely free. Yeah, it'stotally free. There's no ads, there's
no in that purchases nothing. Wedon't want any bear. Heers for it,
So it's completely free. Are eitherof you you know now let me
jump in here. Are either ofyou right now calling me from the backseat
of a limo where you're being chauffeuredaround? More? Right? Okay,

(14:43):
So then let's George, what evenif we make it something cheap like fifteen
sixteen bucks a download. That's whathe didn't like four years ago. He
didn't like the hidden costs. Yeah, I know. But now now we're
seventeen, he knows the value ofmoney. I'm sure he likes some that
the Uh no, that's very that'svery non Elliott, But I applaud you

(15:05):
for it. Well, it's whenpeople in the type one community feel like,
Hey, I didn't ask for thisdisease. I'm just trying to live
my life and it is sometimes frustratingto be It sometimes feels like you're taking
advantage of with tools and resources thatyou need to live and then people are

(15:28):
trying to make a profit off ofthat. So it's you know, that's
I think his motivation. It's likecome on, I have an app that
I try to use, and youhave a pop up at every fifteen seconds
or something. Okay, we cutthe price in half, but the only
pop up at is as heard onElliott in the morning. Let's get we'll
logo inut. We'll get it done. We'll get it done. I'm sure.

(15:54):
Hey, well listen. I hopeeverything goes well. I guess the
last thing I'll ask you, guys, is I like you said, you
were looking for funding. Are youlooking for just like outside public funding or
like you guys working with people.Yeah, No, we're looking for donors
and we're looking for organizations that couldmaybe provide small grand and people. All
the information you can go to ted one dot org, backslash donate and

(16:18):
you can find all the information hiswhole story. We put a fully transparent
budget up there too, for peopleto see exactly where the money is going.
Man, you guys are way toolike, don't care about money.
You know it's important. I hearyou, Hey, Mike, and well

(16:41):
Drew's mom and Drew's dad. Iappreciate the h I appreciate the call.
Tell Drew we were trying to trackhim down. We will we will all
right, you guys be well hey, and I hope you guys sleep together
tonight. All right, thanks somuch, all right, very good,
right before that, all right,very good, thank you, and then
let me go there. That's awesome. That's awesome, very impressive. Yeah.

(17:04):
Oh wait, can I go toline one? Hi? Ellie in
the morning? Hi? Is thismean? Yeah? Hi? Who's this?
Oh? Hey, hey, thisis Susie. I actually have two
sons of type one diabetes and they'veused the te d one app before.
Oh really yeah. Uh, myoldest was diagnosed when he was two and

(17:26):
my youngest when he was six months, and when they got to middle school
and needed to handle their diabetes themselves, all everything she just said about doing
the calculations and having the extra burdenand the amount of time and energy it
took. So we found the app, the t one d one app on
the App Store, and programmed inall of his calculations and it was easy

(17:49):
for him. He could go intoschool, do it without the help of
a nurse and really start to managehis diabetes. That's awesome. No,
that's great, that's really good.Hey. Can I can I ask a
stupid question? How at six monthsat six months old. How do you
know that your kid has diabetes.Oh that's a great question. Uh,
when you're waking up during the nightand they're like king through their diaper every

(18:12):
single night, and they're like,I already had one of the diabetes.
So I was like, they're nowtotally blowing out with like so much urine
you can't even possibly imagine it.So that is one of the symptoms before
they get diagnosed. No kidding,I had no idea. I had no
clue. So it's it's like heavy, heavy urine. Yeah, heavy urine,

(18:36):
like tons of thirst. My firstI thought you said tons of sperm.
I was like, ma'am not please, good lord, let's hook about
it. That age interesting and they'rebut they're they're doing well now. They

(18:56):
are, they are, they're they'reboth on in one pumps now and uh,
they were actually part of a clinicaltrial with a bionic pancreas. Oh,
well, we're trying to get onthat more permanently. But yeah,
the technology, yeah, technology inthe diabetes space makes or breaks their life.

(19:17):
It's the most advanced way you cancare for them right now. But
it requires a ton of a tonof money required, a ton of no
how and you know the ability todo all this mass and juggle all this
all the mechanics of it go prettyimpressive. Kids. Hey, did you

(19:37):
know that type one is not genetic? It's really more of an autoimmune I
do know that, but I actuallyask that question because every time I tell
somebody that both my kids have it, they're like, well, how is
it not genetic? Then, soyou have a genetic you can have a
genetic marker for it. But theonly way you actually like on the autoimmune

(20:00):
response is through environmental environmental factors.So they get a virus, or or
they get stressed, or are theyor there's something that like flips the switch.
So so it's not genetic that itturns on. But they do have
to have like markers for it.Interesting because under get it. Hey,
well listen, I appreciate the Iappreciate the phone call. Thank you,

(20:22):
ma'am. Yeah, thank you,